


Allegiances

by Tamoline



Category: Craft Sequence - Max Gladstone
Genre: F/F, Maybe Tara/Seril if you look at it the right way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 16:24:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12324621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamoline/pseuds/Tamoline
Summary: Seril thinks Tara needs to relax a little when there isn't an imminent crisis at hand.Tara isn't so sure.





	Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lilith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilith/gifts).



> My original idea for the story summary was: A cop, a lawyer and a goddess walk into a bar. Well, the cop and the lawyer do - the goddess is just along for the ride. Technically.
> 
> But then the story happened and turned into something slightly different. Ah well.

_You_ the goddess spoke into her mind _need an evening off._

 

Tara glowered up at the moon through the window. “That’s all very well for you to say,” she said, then returned her attention to the pile of reports, judgments and even the occasional letter she was painstakingly working her way through. “But I still have the rest of these to get through before, hopefully, getting some sleep tonight.”

 

_There is nothing there that cannot wait for tomorrow._

 

That was just the kind of sentiment to offend Tara to the very core of her perfectionist soul, and by the peals of high pitched laughter, Seril was well aware of that.

 

“You are currently reminding me exactly why I swore never to have another roommate, no matter how tempting the idea of splitting costs might be,” she informed the next report.

 

_Returning to the previous matter - there is no current crisis. Now is an excellent time for you to have some time for yourself._

 

“Maybe I could have some if you’d leave me alone,” she said snidely. “And, in any case, the best way to make sure that there isn’t another crisis is to pay attention to the little details before they blow up into anything bigger.” Even if the most pressing current case was only a suit (and automatic countersuit) against Everil Shipping for late delivery of goods to the city.

 

_And how well will you do that if you’re driving yourself towards early burnout?_

 

Tara sighed. For whatever reason, it seemed Seril was unwilling to let this go. “If I say that I’ll think about it, will that be good enough for you?”

 

 _For now_ , Seril said and then her presence vanished from Tara’s senses.

 

Tara spared a suspicious look for the moon before turning back to the report. She had a feeling this was far from over.

* * *

 

“This is the best offer you’re going to get,” Tara bluntly told Ms Gopinath, Everil Shipping’s lawyer.

 

“The delay is your city’s fault, caused by the impoundment of one of our company’s vessels,” Gopinath said. “Frankly, I think you’re lucky to get the offer to drop the suit in exchange for us dropping the countersuit.”

 

Tara sighed. “Then I guess we’ll see what the court thinks.”

 

“In that,” Ms Gopinath said crisply, “we are agreed, Ms Abernathy.” She turned and marched out of Tara’s office.

 

She sighed and rubbed her temples with one hand. She’d heard that Everil tended to be a bulldog in courts, but she really didn’t see what they were hoping to achieve in this case. Quite apart from the claim that if Alt Coulumb didn’t want to have shipments of necromantic earths delayed, they shouldn’t impound ships even if they were carrying contraband -- a claim that she couldn’t imagine the courts looking favorably on -- this countersuit was surely going to poison customer relations far beyond Alt Coulumb’s borders.

 

There was a gentle tapping at her office door. Rather than Gopinath returning for another round, Tara looked up to see a curly haired man there, probably not much out of his teens, holding a covered bowl and a spoon in his hands.

 

“Delivery for you, ma’am,” he said.

 

Her stomach rumbled as the smell reached her, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since an early lunch. “Thanks,” she said, clearing a space on her desk. “Do I owe you anything?”

 

“It’s all been paid for already,” he said, placing the bowl down on the indicated region.

 

She tipped him a few thaums, then turned her attention inward. Your doing, she said to Seril, not really a question.

 

 _What would you do without me?_ Seril sighed.

 

Tara loftily ignored her and uncovered the bowl. The revealed stew looked delicious and meaty, fresh vegetables floating in the broth softened but not disintegrated. She dipped the provided spoon in and lifted it to her lips, blowing gently before swallowing it.

 

Okay, that was good.

 

You’re forgiven, she told Seril.

 

 _The taste of good nutrition,_ Seril said, far too amused for her own good.

 

Tara ignored her, and focussed on finishing the stew before it got cold.

 

“The way you’re attacking that,” came a voice from the doorway, “makes me wonder if I should just leave you two alone and come back later.”

 

Tara looked up, just to make sure, but yes, there was Cat. Despite the casualness of her words and the spectacular albeit not exactly business appropriate nature of her clothing -- black, from her leather of her skirt to the shimmery material of her top -- there was a stiffness to her posture and a tension underlying her voice.

 

Regretfully, Tara lowered the spoon and dabbed at her mouth with a tissue.

 

“What can I do for you?” she asked, not sure what was going on here. She and Cat and didn’t exactly have the kind of relationship that encouraged casual drop ins. Well,  not that she really had that with anyone -- interfering goddesses aside -- but she definitely had that with Cat less than some.

 

Cat smiled tightly. “What are you doing this evening?”

 

Ah. Apparently she wasn’t the only one Seril had been annoying.

 

Tara sighed with irritation. “If it’s really that important, I think I can be trusted to have a night off by myself.”

 

Cat tilted her head, resting it against the doorframe, and smirked. “Really?”

 

“Really,”  Tara said firmly.

 

Cat glanced away. “It’s been…  suggested that spending some time together -- not on the clock -- might not be the worst idea.”

 

Oh, save her from interfering busybodies. “It isn’t as though you have to like me in order to work with me,” she said to Seril as much as Cat.

 

Cat didn’t reply, just shrugged awkwardly.

 

I’m really not impressed, Tara said to Seril.Your opinions on what I need aside, it’s not fair to Cat to put her in this situation.

 

At  last she deigned to answer. _I think you overestimate my abilities if you think I could get Cat to do something she really didn’t want to do._  

 

Huh. She looked again at Cat, standing there awkwardly. But still standing there nonetheless, rather than having left.

 

“Okay,” she said finally. “I’ll need to stop by my apartment to get some clothing first. If you give me directions, I’ll meet you there.”

* * *

 

They were squeezed together by the crowd inside the club Cat had chosen, barely able to hear each other over the pounding music.

 

Maybe that was Cat’s intent -- this way, they didn’t have any of the awkward silences that had characterised the queue outside.

 

Whatever Seril’s idea had been in pushing them together, it didn’t seem to working as of yet. Not that Tara had anyone to blame for that apart from herself.

 

Cat pushed her way through the crowd to the bar, then after attracting the bartender’s attention, ordered then turned around with two drinks in her hands, one of which she handed to Tara. She easily downed hers then looked expectantly at Tara, who followed suit.

 

The liquid burned as it went down her throat -- cheap, but effective. And reminded her that she’d need to pace herself better than in her student days -- if nothing else, she couldn’t just crib notes off someone else tomorrow if she felt at less than her best.

 

She looked challengingly at Cat -- had Cat really expected her to balk at this test, if that was what it was. Cat smirked back at her, hard edged and grabbed her hand, leading her to the dance floor.

 

Which Tara could roll with. Dancing was easier than talking, especially with Cat.

 

As they both let the beat take hold, Cat didn’t move away as Tara was half expecting. If anything, she got closer, more in Tara’s face, as if daring her to flinch away.

 

But that wasn’t exactly Tara’s style, though if the widening of the smirk on Cat’s face was any indication, she was expecting pretty much that. At least for now.

 

And as Cat’s face started to flush and her hair started to clump in the heavy atmosphere of the club, Tara was, a little unwillingly, reminded of how pretty she’d thought Cat could be, back when she first met her. A promise that she’d achieved, now that she didn’t have the pallor and bloodshot eyes of a vampire junkie.

 

Tara smiled right back at her, and dared Cat to do her worst.

* * *

 

Tara slowly surfaced from the pit of sleep, feeling more relaxed than she could easily recall. Slightly sore, maybe, but not drained from another too late night nor the expenditure of too much soul energy.

 

Then she remembered why she felt this way, swore and opened her eyes.

 

Thankfully her bed was empty apart from herself. Maybe it was just a bad dream, brought on by the dancing and alcohol, but somehow Tara didn’t think she was that lucky. Getting up, she examined herself in the mirror and saw marks on her neck and noticed dark bands around her wrists, like someone had held her tightly enough to bruise.

 

A brief flash of memory surfaced, of her hands being pinned against a wall above her head whilst Cat ducked in and...

 

Yup. She definitely wasn’t that lucky.

 

Ugh. Even with her resistance to hangovers seemingly intact, it was still far too early to be worrying about this. First, a shower. Second, breakfast. And then preparation for a deposition this morning about a possible breach in the terms of service for usage of the skies of Alt Coulumb.

 

Maybe by the time she’d finished all that, she’d have forgotten the mess she’d made of what might have been a rapprochement with Cat.

 

Maybe.

* * *

 

Tara was actually a little surprised that Seril waited until she was in the middle of breakfast before bothering her.

 

 _How did last night go?_ she asked as Tara was lifting a slice of toast and marmalade towards her mouth.

 

Don’t you already know, Tara murmured sardonically; a statement more than a question.

 

_Both you and Cat appreciate boundaries. I could be wrong, but I imagine that a night off falls on the other side that line._

 

Tara couldn’t help smiling a little at that. Congratulations, she said. You’re learning. Not that she necessarily minded for herself -- she wasn’t sure that Seril would understand in any human sense even if she had witnessed what had gone on -- but Cat might have minded, and it certainly wouldn’t help the complexity of the situation any.

 

 _So?_ With a pang, Tara couldn’t help thinking that there was something about Seril’s enthusiasm that reminded her a little of Daphne, inquisiting her for the latest gossip. Before everything had gone wrong, of course.

 

I had a night off, Tara said blandly. Isn’t that why you sent Cat to my office?

 

If there was anything else Seril was hoping for, her voice didn’t convey it. _Good_ , she said. _Hopefully I won’t have to go to such lengths next time._

 

Message received loud and clear, Tara said. If it meant that Seril wouldn’t send Cat at her again, she’d damn well make sure to have her own time off in the future.

* * *

 

It wasn’t quite as simple as that, naturally. For one, her list of actual friends was woefully  limited. For another, number of those she could actually relax around was even smaller. She was very fond of Shale, but he was much more like the younger teenage brother she had never wanted than a proper peer. Which was probably somewhat unfair after what he’d sacrificed for her, but still the impression persisted. Aev was definitely a peer and a friend… but not being prey to many of the human frailties by virtue of being animate stone meant fully relaxing around her always felt a bit, well, embarrassing.

 

Which left Abelard. “Do I even want to know how you managed to clear both our schedules?” he asked.

 

“Probably not,” Tara said. It’d taken two weeks, as well as persuasion, bribery and a certain amount of blackmail, but she’d managed it.

 

They were in Abelard’s chambers, which was less than ideal, but Tara had managed to snag some highly priced Kathic beers.

 

“I won’t question it then. How are you doing?”

 

Tara wobbled her hand in the air. “I feel like I should be asking you that, though.”

 

He made a face that was almost a smile before taking a deep drag on his cigarette. “Oh, my life’s fine if you don’t count work. Of course, that’d be better if I had a life outside of work. Evenings off due to conniving thaumaturges aside.”

 

Tara half laughed, half snorted. “I’m beginning to think that Seril might be right -- we might all be in need of taking care to make sure that we don’t burn out.”

 

“Now, now, I might be revising the articles of Kos’ faith -- with a lot of help -- but that kind of talk might be going a bit too far,” Abelard said, only half jokingly.

 

“If we were the kind of people who enjoyed time off, we wouldn’t be where we are.”

 

Abelard smiled wryly at her. “I suppose not.” He cocked his head quizzically. “Did Seril really suggest that you needed to take some time off?”

 

Tara made a face. “Yes, unfortunately.”

 

Abelard blinked. “Huh. It just seems… like such a small thing for a god to be worried about.”

 

“Trust me, I’m almost as surprised as you are. In her current state, She takes a more personal view than I’m given to believe is typical for gods, but…” she shrugged. She seemed to want to take care of Tara, more than most of her friends ever had. It was… actually weirdly nice. Not that she was ever going to say that to anyone, least of all Her.

 

“Dare I ask why you thought this unfortunate?”

 

Tara looked sourly at her beer, but… On the one hand if she wanted to talk to someone about this, Abelard was really her only option if she didn’t want whatever she said to get straight back to Seril. And… she didn’t want that, for whatever reason.

 

On the other, what could she say? At the connivance of a goddess, she had a night out with one of his childhood friends, who she then slept with in an ill advised one night stand. Worse, she hasn’t been able to get the whole thing out of her mind, nor stop touching her wrists even though the marks had faded, probably because it was the most intimate contact she’d had in forever and… and…

 

None of it mattered because Cat still probably hated Tara for taking over her mind. Certainly what had passed between them was anything but gentle. Ugh, and that was definitely a good reason for not letting any of this get back to Seril -- She’d probably try and interfere again. Doubtless with the best of intentions, but…

 

She waved him off. “Another time, maybe. Go on, liven up my life. Who’s really making your life difficult at the moment?”

 

Abelard groaned goodnaturedly, but filled her in on  all the latest church gossip over the rest of the beers. And when they were done, she luxuriated in the farewell hug he gave her. And wasn’t it sad that she could still count the number of those she’d had in the last year on the fingers of one hand?

 

“Let’s do this again sometime,” he said. “Maybe in a little less than a year this time.”

* * *

 

“We’d like to have the eyewitness testimony of the officer on the scene,” Gopinath said blandly.

 

Tara thought for a moment, but couldn’t come up with a valid objection, for all that she couldn’t see how it would affect the validity of the case. The cargo of the ship had been lawfully impounded when contraband had been discovered, for all that the captain had claimed that she had had no knowledge of the illicit items.

 

“Granted,” Judge Heca said. “Justice?”

 

The officer assigned to the courthouse assumed the silver skin of the Suit, promises of protection, strength and service written over their skin like promises. _What would you like to know?_ Justice asked through the man’s lips.

 

“No,” Gopinath said. “I’d like to talk to the officer who was physically present.”

 

“Objection,” Tara said. “Anything done by a suited guard is done by Justice, according to Alt Coulumb law.”

 

Heca looked at Gopinath skeptically. “This is true, Ms Gopinath. I’m minded to uphold the objection unless you give me a reason not to.”

 

Gopinath smiled thinly. “Your Honour, the officer in question is pertinent to this case.”

 

Heca narrowed their eyes. “If I judge that you are wasting the court’s time with this, I will not be inclined to be lenient. Are you sure that you wish to continue with this request?”

 

Gopinath went a little pale, but nodded. “I am, your Honour.”

 

“Very well,” Heca said. “Justice, how quickly can you have the officer here?”

 

 _One hour,_ Justice replied.

 

Which officer was this? Tara asked Seril.

 

 _Cat_ , she replied succinctly and Tara’s stomach instantly knotted. She resisted the urge to touch her wrists because that was totally irrelevant to the case at hand. Especially because there were a few reasons she could think of that Gopinath might be playing this card now, and none of them were good.

* * *

 

“What is your name?” Gopinath asked the silver suited Cat.

 

 _Justice_ , the suit replied.

 

“What is the name of the person in the suit?” Gopinath asked.

 

“Objection, relevance,” Tara asked for form’s sake.

 

“Yes, yes,” Judge Heca said. “Please get to the point, Ms Gopinath.”

 

“It’s coming shortly, you Honour,” Gopinath said, then back towards Cat. “Please answer the question.”

 

 _Lieutenant Catherine Elle_ , the suit replied.

 

Gopinath turned to look at Judge Heca, and conjured a construct of information and light. “If you look at these records, there are more than two dozen instances of ships of my client given especial scrutiny. And in almost all cases by this particular individual.”

 

“Again, your Honour,” Tara interjected, “I ask relevance. Justice can and does act through any of its sworn officers as need be, with complete impartiality. It doesn’t matter which individual actually carries out the instructions.”

 

Gopinath smiled coldly. “And in most cases, you’d be right. But the wearer of this Suit has a different relationship to Justice than most.” She conjured again, a thousand tiny wires of force piercing the Suit.

 

Tara countered as best she could, severing wires as fast as she could manage, and flooded power down others, attempting to drown out whatever Gopinath was attempting to discover.

 

Cat jerked beneath the ungentle touch of power, laid bare by Gopinath’s probes and stung by Tara’s counters. Her fists clenched and finally she lashed out, almost faster than could be seen and Gopinath was flung across the courtroom. When she rose to her feet, blood dripping down the back of her neck, her expression was triumphant.

 

“A true servant of Justice would not have been able to resist a lawful order of the Court,” she said to Judge Heca. “She can act on her own initiative -- therefore how can we view these unnecessary searches as anything other than repeated harassment of my client?”

 

Cat coiled, like she was about to spring at Gopinath again, so Tara interposed herself and hoped really hard that Cat wouldn’t be willing to go through her. “Again, Judge Heca, relevance? Contraband was found on the ship in question. It was impounded lawfully.”

 

“The harshest possible penalty given the crime, after the Lieutenant misused her position -- and the assumptions of the Court -- to find anything she could. And, given she has shown that she could act despite Justice’s strictures, how can we trust that she didn’t plant this so-called evidence herself?”

 

Tara could almost feel the coiled fury emanating from behind her, but thankfully Cat managed to keep quiet. “That’s a lot of speculation, but we have yet to hear any evidence that any of this is anything remotely resembling the truth.”

 

Gopinath gestured and a diagram of what Cat’s connections she’d managed to map was displayed to the Court. “If you look here, she has a very strong mutual bond to the goddess Seril, not just Justice. My client does business all over the world with many different customers from the Iskari to various Deathless Kings. Many of these shipments -- however legal they are in the jurisdictions concerned -- would be frowned upon by Seril. Indeed, we know they are,” she brandished another energy construct, “If you look at the minutes of these meetings, you’ll notice that the representatives of Seril made their objections to having us be the carrier for the necromantic earths in question. So we have a free-willed alleged agent of Justice, with a connection to Seril that is at least that of a priestess, who has made repeated attempts to harass my client and finally succeeded in delaying us sufficiently to cause problems for Alt Coulumb. If that wasn’t enough, now Kos and Seril are suing us for damages which Seril and her servant caused!”

 

Heca looked to Tara. “Do you have a response, Ms Abernathy?”

 

Tara took a breath. “Ms Gopinath has inundated the Court with a lot of speculation and accusations, but with very little in the way of hard proof. If it pleases the Court, I’d like to ask for a recess for the rest of the day to consult with my clients and find out how they wish to proceed.”

 

It wasn’t the strongest response -- despite the strength of Gopinath’s confidence, it was possible that if Tara hammered at her arguments enough, she’d expose the cracks in them, or at least not leave Gopinath with essentially the last word for the day -- but…

 

But.

 

Cat was there, behind her on the stand, having just suffered a metaphysical violation of a kind Tara could imagine only too well, but without any of the training that would help her resist it. She didn’t know how Cat was taking it -- couldn’t afford to let Gopinath or the Court know that she cared -- but she had to get her out of there as soon as possible.

 

Besides now that Gopinath had shown at least some of her hand -- and how exactly had she known to look for any of that? -- she did actually need to consult with Kos’ priesthood and Seril about how she should proceed.

 

And whether they wanted to do the expedient thing and cut Cat loose.

* * *

 

As soon as she left the courtroom, Cat was off, marching rapidly away, shoulders rigid, the Suit melting away. Tara hurried after her.

 

“A minute, if you please, officer,” she said when she managed to catch up with her.

 

Cat turned on her furiously. “Haven’t you done enough?” she hissed.

 

Tara glanced around, but didn’t see anyone else. But still. “My office. Please.”

 

Cat glared at her, but did at least turn left at the next intersection, rather than straight on towards the exit.

 

After Tara closed the door behind them, she turned back around to see Cat staring angrily at her. And, just for a moment, she flashed back to that night a few weeks ago, when Cat had looked at her just like that just before pouncing on her.

 

...Which was not at all appropriate to be thinking in this situation. Not to mention probably more than a little messed up.

 

“Okay,” Cat snapped. “So what did you want to tell me to do? What are my marching orders?” She infused those last words with heavy sarcasm.

 

And… and Tara realised that Cat was completely correct. The case should have been her first concern, not Cat’s state of mind. Let alone how she looked.

 

If Tara had still been part of a firm, she’d have been giving serious thought about whether she could get a colleague to take this case. Emotional investment and the court did not mix.

 

Still, she was what she had. And -- maybe -- a little concern for Cat wouldn’t be such a bad path to take. If she needed to, she could even justify that it might be good for the case. After all, the last thing anyone needed was for Cat to do something rash.

 

“I was actually going to ask if you were alright,” she said mildly.

 

Cat looked at her, unbelievingly.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Cat remained looking at her for a few seconds before finally, grudgingly, saying, “I’m fine.”

 

But there was a slight tick in her face that suggested otherwise. Still, the chances of her admitting that to Tara were approximately zero. She sighed internally, and gestured to one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Feel free to take a seat,” she said, doing likewise with one of the other chairs on this side of the desk, not letting it divide them.

 

After a moment of looming over her, Cat followed suit, suspiciously.

 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more,” she said, honestly.

 

“Because it harmed your case?” It sounded like Cat tried to say that flatly, but a slight lilt slipped out regardless.

 

Tara winced. “That really should have been the only thing on my mind. And I’m glad the opposing counsel didn’t realise otherwise.”

 

Cat peered at her for a moment, then barked out a laugh. “What, are you saying that we fucked for one night and you somehow caught *feelings*?”

 

Tara resisted the urge to huddle in on herself, instead regarding Cat coolly. “Actually, I was thinking that you were one of the closer things I had to friends in this city.”

 

It was a lie, a blatant lie. They’d barely interacted over the last year, ever since Tara sabotaged things on her first case in the city. She had Abelard and Shale and Aev and even Seril.

 

But Cat seemed to buy it anyway, giggling at her. It hurt, more than it should, more than she’d ever thought it would. “If that isn’t the saddest thing,” she said and, well, maybe if it was true, Tara would have to agree with her.

 

“Business, then,” Tara said shortly. “Can you tell me that you weren’t targeting the ships of Everil Shipping?” She held up a hand as Cat started to answer. “Don’t tell me if you can’t, just if you can.” Cat shut her mouth with a snap. “And I suppose you can’t tell me that Seril didn’t approve.”

 

Silence.

 

“But it was all legal?” Tara pressed.

 

Cat gave her an annoyed look. “Yes. Of course.” Then, apparently because she felt a need to defend herself. “They deal in dreamstones,” she spat.

 

Which would explain why Seril had a distinct dislike for Everil Shipping. The Craft was an indelicate tool when it came to human psyches. Which didn’t mean that it couldn’t be used, just that it tended to leave… damage. But some people  — those rich enough to afford the exorbitant cost, or those desperate enough to pay it — wanted the pleasure of someone’s good dreams on record. And some people were poor or indebted enough to sell them in areas where that was legal, despite the exceedingly high risks of permanent mental impairment.

 

“That’s not exactly helping the case,” Tara said. It definitely meant that she couldn’t call Cat back to the stand to testify. Though the fact that Gopinath hadn’t asked those questions meant that she wasn’t completely sure of the answers herself. The facts that she had known were interesting, though. Had someone been feeding them to her? “Just… carry on as normal for the moment. Obey Justice like any other cop would. No private crusades.”

 

Cat nodded sharply, then got to her feet. She paused for a second at the door, looking like she was thinking about saying something — but then didn’t, just leaving, and Tara found herself glad for that.

 

It had been… bruising, facing her anger like that. Still, it was clear that Tara couldn’t help her. Wasn’t even sure she wanted to, after that.

 

Still, she prayed to Seril regardless. Look after her, will you?

 

 _Of course_ , Seril said in response. _What about you?_

 

I’m fine, Tara said. I’m fine.

 

If Seril didn’t believe her, she didn’t say.

* * *

 

“And what is the Church’s official position?” Abelard asked after she had gone through the day’s events.

 

Tara gave him a sour look. “That, in their opinion, it’s not unreasonable for people to be worried about someone being a priestess of Seril whilst they’re on the job, so to speak. They were quite pious in noting that there are no priests of Kos in a similar position, and Justice is a subsidiary of both Kos and Seril.”

 

“Are they aiming to have a Suited priest of Kos?” Abelard asked, eyebrows raised.

 

“They didn’t exactly seem opposed to the idea. Of course, Cat’s circumstances are so unique it’d be difficult without the direct intervention of Kos. Which I wouldn’t advise, given Seril’s sense of disassociation when it comes to Justice.”

 

Abelard winced. “In some ways, it’d be easier if the officer concerned wasn’t Cat. If I intervene, it’s going to look like me using my position to help an old friend.”

 

“I wasn’t going to ask you for anything like that,” Tara said. “It’s just… I needed to talk this out with someone, and you’re my best bet.”

 

“I’m not sure how much help I can be with legal matters.”

 

Tara snorted and threw up her hands. “It’s not that. It would be easier if it were just that. I’d have half a dozen ploys already, and then it’d just be whittling down to which are the most usable, or whether it’d be best to concede the case and minimise the damage. No, the problem is that it’s Cat at the centre of this.”

 

Abelard looked at her cautiously. “Why is that a problem? I didn’t think that you knew her that well.” Tara was glad her colouration prevented her blushes from being easily seen, but he must have seen something. “Oh,” he said. “Has that changed?”

 

“Recently,” she said tightly. “Kind of.” To say that she knew Cat would definitely be an overstatement, but it definitely seemed to have screwed with her emotions. “Not that it’s important. Or at least not that it should be important, which is rather the point.”

 

“Dare I ask-?” he said, then stopped at her glare. “No. I see not. So what can I help you with?”

 

Tara sighed. “In some ways, getting Cat to resign or be dismissed from the force would be the easy way out of this. Everil Shipping would lose its arguing point, they’d still have had a ship properly impounded and face — maybe reduced — penalties for late delivery. And, better yet, Cat’s presence amongst Justice’s ranks can’t be used in future legal battles, which is clearly one of the threats here. But- But.”

 

“It would mean Cat losing her position?”

 

“Yes, yes and I remember you telling me how much that means to her. But not only that, it also neatly snips one of the key strands binding Justice to Seril. Without Cat in the force, the disassociation issues are only going to get worse. And, judging by the way this has come out, someone or some people out there are clearly angling for that outcome.”

 

“But is that enough to suffer all the attacks sure to come, especially if Justice is eventually forced to cut Cat loose at some point anyway? And how much is your weighing of the options affected by your personal feelings?”

 

“Pretty much,” Tara said with a crooked smile.

 

“What does Seril have to say?”

 

Tara rolled her eyes. “That She trusts in my judgment, whatever I decide.”

 

“Have you talked to Cat about this?”

 

“That she might be on the verge of becoming a liability to both Seril and Justice, and I still haven’t decided what the best course is yet? No. What’d be the point?” Part of this whole problem was that Cat wasn’t her client, and the worth of laypeople’s opinions on craftwork was… limited. At best.

 

“Maybe you should start with that, then,” Abelard said gently.

* * *

 

Tara stared up at the darkened ceiling of her room, unable to sleep. Finally, for want of anything better to do, and because she really didn’t want to think about the case any further, she asked Seril, So, what’s going on with you this evening?

 

 _Many things,_ Seril replied. _Now that people are starting to believe in me again, every night more people pray to me. Sometimes, they’re things I can help with. Sometimes, they’re not. Sometimes they just want to talk, and be heard._

 

Isn’t that… tiring? To have people ask and ask and never give?

 

_There is gratitude too, whether deserved or not. Sometimes even people telling me of the good in their lives. Only a few, at the moment, but also growing in number. And I am a goddess. Even as limited as I am, I’m not human, and I don’t react the same way. People asking me for help does not drain my emotional reserves -- it empowers me._

 

It can’t be much for conversation, though.

 

Tara could sense Seril’s smile. _I have my priestesses for that._

 

And partners.

 

 _Yes, and partner_ , Seril said, far too affectionately for a goddess. _Now roll over._

 

Why? What are you going to do? It isn’t as though you have a physical presence, Tara said even as she rolled over obediently.

 

Goosebumps erupted over her body as she felt… not hands, but hand-shaped sources of energy flowing into the base of her back, then moving slowly upwards. Tara couldn’t help a slight gasp. It wasn’t exactly touch -- her mind instinctively went to Cat and her hands, then flinched away again -- but it was good.

 

Very good. And relaxing. She hadn’t realised how much tension she’d been carrying in her back.

 

Thank you, she managed before she slipped off to sleep.

 

The last thing she remembered was a light touch of energy to her forehead, like the brush of fingers or a kiss.

* * *

 

There was a knock at the door of her office as Tara was preparing for court the next morning.

 

“Come in,” she called as she pored over Justice’s records, doing her best to make sure that there weren’t any further nasty surprises in store.

 

Somewhat to her surprise, Cat entered. Even more shockingly she was wearing an expression that might almost be described as penitent.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said awkwardly. “For yesterday. I was out of line.”

 

“Well, you weren’t wrong,” Tara said.  “As counsel to the church of Kos and Seril, your wellbeing is not my job. Not to mention…” Tara trailed off, not exactly sure if Cat would want Tara of all people to bring up her ordeal.

 

Cat smiled thinly. “I wasn’t in the best of moods.”

 

Tara resisted the urge to ask how she was doing today.

 

“So,” Cat said, raising her eyebrows. “Friends?” She smirked at Tara.

 

Tara groaned. “Can we forget that I said that?”

 

“Never,” Cat said smugly. “Don’t think I’m not going to hold you to that, after this is done.”

 

Cat’s words brought back the blurred memories of that night again, of Cat pinning her wrists, of the bruises that she almost wished hadn’t faded.

 

“Speaking of which,” she said hurriedly. “There are some matters that I need to talk to you about.”

 

Cat was instantly all business. “What can I help you with?”

 

Tara winced. “I hate to lay this upon you, but it has been brought to my attention that you deserve to know what’s going on.” She laid out the options that she’d gone over with Abelard last night.

 

Cat nodded attentively as Tara finished the summary. “So, if I stay in my current position, I become a liability to Justice. If I leave, I might hurt Seril. Is that the heart of it?”

 

“And in both cases, life isn’t exactly simple for you.”

 

Cat shrugged that off. “So, what do you think I should do?”

 

Tara was about to say that she hadn’t figured that out for herself when something about Cat’s phrasing niggled at her.

 

Her current position.

 

Huh.

 

Maybe there was something she could work with.

* * *

 

“Upon looking into the matter, my clients contend that the city has done nothing wrong in this matter. It is the duty of Justice to find criminality within the bounds of the city. This was done. Despite Ms Gopinath insinuations, there is no evidence that anything was planted and I will ask the Court to note that she did not ask Justice to confirm this,” Tara said.

 

“And I would ask the Court to note that Ms Abernathy likewise did not ask Justice to testify on this matter. And, likewise, she has not answered the facts central to our countersuit, that Seril used undue influence through her priestess, acting in the guise of Justice though free of its sway, to harass my client’s businesses.”

 

“Justice does have many contracts enforcing its impartiality in the exercise of its duties,” Judge Heca said.

 

“My clients see this as a purely internal matter to Justice, to determine whether any malfeasance took place. Would the Court be satisfied with the removal of Lieutenant Elle from her prior duties pending the findings of this review?”

 

Judge Heca contemplated, then nodded. “These findings should come before this Court in no more than six months, pending further penalty. Any award to Everil Shipping will be determined at that point.”

 

Gopinath cleared her throat. “If the Court permits, what do Ms Abernathy mean by ‘the removal’ of Lieutenant Elle? I’m sure your Honour can appreciate my client’s concern about a rogue agent of Justice who might cause further trouble for them.”

 

“Everil Shipping has nothing to worry about regarding Lieutenant Elle,” Tara said blandly. “In the interim pending the review, she’s been assigned to liaise with Seril’s gargoyles. Seril has decided to have them act as community police officers of a sort in conjunction with Justice.”

 

There didn’t seem to be any point hiding this -- doubtless the news would be everywhere in the city within the day.

 

Gopinath looked a little ill at the news, and Tara wondered again who exactly she was actually representing in this business. Not that it mattered in the short term -- doubtless it would eventually come out, one way or another. But she didn’t make any objection -- after all, why would Everil Shipping care about strengthened ties between Seril and Justice?

 

“Also,” Tara said, “Everil Shipping has nothing to worry because -- given their behaviour in this case -- the city has decided to cancel their contract, given their clearly inadequate contingencies for the delay of even a single ship…”

 

Gopinath did not look any more well at that news, and Tara smiled sharply.

* * *

 

“I hear that I probably should owe you drinks,” Cat said as she entered Tara’s office as she was sorting out her papers in the aftermath of the trial.

 

Tara smiled tightly and took a breath. This should not be harder than any number of trials she had faced in the past, both in the Court and elsewhere. And, well, she’d certainly faced more intimidating things than perhaps being a little honest with Cat, even if it didn’t seem like it quite at the moment. “Why?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound too awkward. “Were you hoping for a repeat of last time you took me out for drinks?”

 

Cat froze, looking panicked and Tara’s stomach sank even before she answered. It wasn’t that she’d been hoping…

 

Okay, maybe it was that she had been hoping Cat would say yes. Just a little. To her irritation, she found her right hand gripping her left wrist tightly, as if in imitation.

 

“Why, would you want that?” Cat asked as the same time Tara blurted out, “Sorry, that came out wrong.”

 

They both paused, Cat looking at her curiously, whilst Tara just hoped that she didn’t look as panicked as she felt.

 

“No, really,” Cat said. “Would you want that?” She smirked a little. “Were you *hoping* for a repeat?”

 

Tara looked back at her levelly. “Why, would you?”

 

Cat blinked and her smile faded. “Huh,” she said. “I can honestly say that I didn’t expect that.”

 

“Why?” Tara asked, not quite sure what she should be feeling in response to that.

 

Cat shrugged, one shouldered, golden hair bouncing a little. “I was fairly sure that if you’d wanted anything other than a one night stand, you’d have contacted me before now. That, plus Seril asked me to leave you alone.”

 

Tara did the mental equivalent of pursing her lips at that. Not that she didn’t expect Seril to interfere when it suited her by now, but doing this, dissuading Cat from reaching out…

 

Okay, maybe it had been the right move, she had to admit. It wasn’t as though she’d probably have done something other than freak out before now.

 

It wasn’t as though relationships had ever been her thing.

 

So.

 

What did she want to do now?

 

“I’m game to try a second night stand if you are,” she said.

 

Cat smiled slowly. “Buy a girl a drink -- just one -- and we can see where we go from there.”

 

Tara matched her expression. “Deal.”

* * *

 

Tara stretched out beside Cat afterwards, aching in all the right places. Just close enough to Cat that she could feel her presence, without being overwhelmed by all the touch she still wasn’t quite used to.

 

She was going to have bruises decorating her wrists and neck again, she realised with a distant hazy heat.

 

 _Knock, knock,_ she heard Seril say hesitantly, as if waiting for permission before fully contacting her.

 

Tara reached over to Cat, laying her hand on her shoulder, luxuriating in the gentle casualness of it.

 

“What?” Cat asked her slurring her words a little with sleep.

 

“Seril wants to talk to me,” Tara said. “Do you mind if I do it here?”

 

Cat blinked, then shook her head. “Do you mind if I talk to her as well?”

 

“No,” Tara said automatically. “Of course not.”  

 

Good evening, she said to Seril. What can I do for you?

 

 _Oh_ , Seril said, and Tara could feel the delight emanating from her. _This happened._

 

Are you telling me that this isn’t exactly what you planned? she thought sardonically. Not that this is anything, yet.

 

 _But you opened yourself up to the possibility that it could become something,_ Seril said. _I wasn’t expecting that. Hoping, maybe. Expecting, no._

 

Tara found that she had no answer to that, except to smile sleepily back at the delight she could feel radiating from Seril. And across from her, she saw Cat move sleepily in the dimness of the bedroom, as though pushing back against the caress of an unseen hand.

 

She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten here, a thaumaturge, a cop and a goddess, all connecting or starting to connect in their various ways.

 

But she couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

**Author's Note:**

> And I'm still not quite sure where all the court room stuff came from. I swear that I just wanted a reason for Tara and Cat to interact again. Hopefully it worked, and I didn't bork things up too badly.


End file.
